Hay-loader



(No Model.) 4 SheetsShee t 1.

S. FERGUSON. HAY LOADER.

No. 581,404. Patented Apr.-27, 189 7.

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(No Model.)

S. FERGUSON.

HAY LOADER.

Patented Apr. 27,1897.

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S. FERGUSON.

HAY LOADBR. No; 581,404. PatentedApr.27, 1897.

FFICE..

ATENT SAMUEL FERGUSON, OF I-IAZLE GREEN, IOWA.

HAY-LOADER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 581 ,404, dated April 27, 1897.

A li atio fil d December 21,1395. Serial no. 572,903. (No model.)

'1'0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hazle Green, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Hay-Loader, of which the following is a speci fication.

My invention relates to hay-loaders of the class in which hay is raked from the swath, carried upward and forward, and deposited in a preceding vehicle; and it has for its objects to simplify, improve, and strengthen the construction of machines employed for this purpose; to provide an improved form of rake for maintaining an even pressure of the teeth and conforming to irregularities in the surface of the soil traversed; to provide simple and improved means for attaching the rake-frame to the main frame of the loader, whereby the rake-teeth are held in operative relation with the picker-cylinder; to provide means whereby the intermediate section of the rake-frame may be adjusted to vary its distance from the surface of the soil; to provide means for dividing the hay or other material in the swath in which the loader is operatin g from that which is traversed and held from being elevated by the ground-wheel adjacent to the unraked surface, and to pro vide improved means for operating the pickerstaffs,whereby an independent rocking movement is imparted thereto at the lower side of the picker-cylinder to cause the picker-teeth to traverse the surface of the soil from the front toward the rear at a speed in excess of the speed of rotation of the picker-cylinder.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof Will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front View of a hay-loader constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side View. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section of the pickercylinder to show the relative positions of the picker-staffs, the lowermost staff's bei n g shown in the positions which they occupy, respectively, before and after their swinging or sweeping movement. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the relative positions of the pickerstaifs, one of the picker-staffs being shown in the positions which it occupies before its engagement by the cam which causes its swinging or sweeping movement. Fig. 6 is a detail view in perspective of one of the frame-castings with the folding and operating cams projecting from the inner side thereof. Fig. 7 is a detail section parallel with the .axis of the picker-cylinder through one of the heads of the cylinder and the contiguous frame-casting. Fig. 8 is a detail View in perspective of one of the cylinder-heads. Fig. 9 is a detail view of one of the picker-teeth and the picker-staff to which it is secured. Fig. 10 isa vertical section of a cylinder and contiguous parts adjacent to one of the cylinder-heads to show the carrier-chain which traverses said head and the spring dividertooth by which the material which is to be elevated is separated from that which is held in place by the adjacent ground-wheel. Fig. 11 is a detail view in perspective of the rake. Fig. 12 is a detail view of one end of a pickerstaff, showing the spindle, cross-head, guide, and the cushion-spring.

Similar numerals and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the axle or driving-shaft carrying the loose drive-wheels 2, which are connected with the axle to communicate forward motion thereto by means of clutches of the ordinary construction, (not shown,) and said axle is journaled contiguous to the drivewheels in wheel-like frame-castings 3, provided at their upper sides with peripheral upstanding ears 4, which form means of attachment to the rear ends of the horizontal frame-bars 5. These side frame-bars 5 are arranged parallel with each other and extend forward to a point approximately midway between the castings 3 and a vertical standard 6, where they are spliced by means of couplings 7 to the rear ends of the forwardly-convergent horizontal brace-bars 8, said brace-bars being connected securely at their front ends by means of socket-plates 9, provided, in common with the front ends of said brace-bars, with vertical sockets for the reception of said standards 6. Secured to the socket-plates is a coupling-loop 10, adapted, as in the ordinary practice, to engage a suitable device on a vehicle which precedes the loader to receive the hay or other material as it is gathered.

Stepped at their lower ends upon the rear ends of the side bars 5 are the upwardly and forwardly inclined side bars 11 of the carrierframe, said side bars being connected near their upper and lower ends by crossbars l2 and 13, between which are arranged the longitudinal guide-bars 14, the upper faces of which are disposed in the plane of the upper surfaces of the side bars 11. Supported by the side bars 11 of the carrier-frame are the side boards 15, which are arranged approximately flush with the outer edges of said side bars, which thus project inwardly beyond the inner surfaces of the side boards to form supporting and guide ledges 16 for the carrier-chains 17, which form the side members of the carrierapron 18, said guide-bars 14 serving to support the intermediate portions of the apron. The upper front end of the carrier-frame is held in place by means of forwardly-inclined braces 19 and 20, which are secured at their lower ends, respectively, to collars 21, fitted upon the axle, and to the main or horizontal frame conti uous to the front ends of the frame-bars 0, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. In addition to the above braces a transverse brace-bar 22 connects the lower extremities of hangers 23, depending from the side bars of the carrier-frame near its upper end, a vertical standard or strut 24 extending downwardly from the center of said transverse brace 22 to the contiguous subjacent front ends of the forwardly-convergent braces S, as shown in Figs. 2 and The standard 0, by which the front end of the horizontal frame is supported when the loader is not attached to a preceding vehicle, is extended to hold it in operative position by means of a running operating cord or cable 25, which is attached at one end to the horizontal frame, as shown at 26, passes over the grooved pulley 27, carried by the standard, thence under the pulley 28 on the horizontal frame, around a direc' tion-pulley 29, preferably supported by the transverse brace 22, and is extended to one side of the carrier-fra1ne, where, after passing around a second direction-pulley 30, it is attached to the drum 31, provided with an operating-handle 32 and suitable ratchet mechanism 33 to hold it at the desired adjustment. This construction is clearlyillustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The roller 3%, which is arranged at the upper end of the carrier-frame to support the upper portion of the carrier apron 18, is mounted upon a spindle 35, fitted at its extremities in slots 30, formed longitudinally in the side bars of the carrier-frame, and adapted to be adjusted therein to vary the tension of the carrier-apron. This ad justment is obtained by means of cables 37, which are attached to the ends of the spindle, pass around pulleys 38 at the upper extremities of the side bars 11, and thence extend and are attached to drums 39, carried by a common spindle a0, provided with suitable ratchet mechanism ll an d operating handles or cranks l2, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.

Secured to the axle between the frame-castin gs 3 is a picker-cylinder having rotary heads 43', connected by picker-staffs 44, the construction of the picker-staffs being such as to provide for rocking movement to vary the position of the picker-teeth 4:5, as well as the resilience of movement toward and from the center of the cylinder to avoid fracture when said picker-teeth encounter an obstacle. The means which I have shown in the accompanyin g drawings for allowing roekin g and resilicut or cushioned movement of the pickerstaffs consist of spindles 46, mounted in bearings 47 in the cylinder-heads and provided with arms l8, terminating in inturned cars 49, which support guide-stems 50, the body portions of the picket-staffs being fitted to slide upon said stems and being terminally notched to engage the inner surfaces of the arms. inter osed between the body portions of the picker-staffs and the ears at the inner ends of the arms 48 and coiled upon said guide-stems are the return or cushion springs 51, which normally hold the picker-staffs in operative position, suitable keys 52 being fitted in transverse perforations in the outer extremities of the guide-stems to prevent the accidental displacement of the body portions of the staffs. The exterior surfaces of the arms of the eylinder-heads are preferably polygonal to provide a series of flat faces 53 for the bearing of the carrier-chains 17, motion being communicated to the carrier by means of the picker-teeth, which engage the transverse members 54 of the apron.

The spindles of the picker-staffs extend beyond the outer surfaces of the picker-cylinders and are provided with cross-heads 55 for engagement by cams upon the inner sur faces of the frame-castings to impart rocking movement alternately in opposite directions to the picker-staffs, this rocking movement having for its object to alternately fold and extend the picker-teeth, whereby during their upward movement from the lowermost point of the cylinder to the plane of the upper side of the carrier-apron said teeth are in the proper position for carrying the hay or other material and whereby during their downward movement at the front side of the cylinder said teeth are folded and are not extended until the point of operation is reached. The means which I have shown in the drawings for accomplishing this rocking movement of the picker-staffs alternately in opposite directions include operating and folding cams 56 and 57, which are arranged, respectively, at the front and rear sides of the cylinder and are segmental in construction concentric with the cylinder. The rear or operating cam 56,which consists of a rim or flange projecting inwardly from and preferably formed integral with the frame-casting, is arranged at a less distance from the center of rotation of the cylinder than-the front or folding cam 57, which also consists of a rim preferably integral with the frame-casting. The cross-heads upon the outer extremities of the picker-staff spindles are preferably of the L shape shown in the drawings, the short ear or wing 58 being perpendicular to the main or long ear or wing 59. The short ear or wing 58 may be termed the folding wing, in that it comes in contact with the upper extremity of the front or folding cam 57, whereby the picker-staffs are turned to fold the picker-teeth backwardly, and the contact of the short ear or wing 58 with the inner surface of the cam 57 holds the picker-staffs in said folded position until released at the lower end of the folding cam.

In Fig. 5 the cross-head of the uppermost picker-staff is shown in the position which it occupies after the disengagement of the long ear or wing 59 from the-upper extremity of the rear or operating cam 56 and just prior to the engagement of the short ear or wing 58 in the upper extremity of thefront or folding cam 58. After said short ear or'wing is engaged by the cam 57 the picker-teeth are folded back to the position shown at a in Figs. 4 and 5. The picker-teeth retain this folded position until after they have passed slightly beyond the point occupied by the lowermost front picker-staff, (shown at a in Fig. 4,) when the short ear or wing is released from the front cam 57 by the termination of said cam. The initial rounded extremity of the rear cam 56 is arranged contiguous to the termination of the front cam 57, and hence engages the long ear or wing 59 of the cross-head approximately as shown at b in Fig. 5, and the continued forward movement in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5 of the cylinder-head causes the crosshead to be turned to the position shown at c in Figs. 4 and 5. From the moment of re lease of the short ear or wing 58 to the end of the independent swinging movement of the picker staff and fingers, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, the picker fingers or teeth swing through an are indicated by the direction-line at in Fig. 5, whereby the extremities of said picker-teeth move'at a greater speed than the picker-cylinder, and hence positively engage the hay or other material with which they come in contact, thus lifting said hay independently of the rake mechanism which is hereinafter described. The picker-teeth are held in the position indicated at c in Figs. 4 and 5 by the contact of the long ear or wing 59 with the exterior surface of the cam 56, and in said position the picker-teeth are inclined slightly upward from a radial position or from a line connecting the center of the cylinder and the center of the picker-staff, such a line being dotted at e and f, respectively, in Figs. 4 and 5. This slight upward inclination of the pickerteeth after assuming the operative position indicated at c in Figs. 4 and 5 insures the proper holding and elevation of the hay or other material.

From the above description it will be seen that the picker-staffs are rocked alternately in opposite directions to extend the pickerteeth, the folding movement being accomplished at the uppermost point of the picker cylinder and the extension thereof approximately at the lowermost point. During the folding movement of the picker-teeth said teeth are swung rearwardly, or in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the picker-cylinder, whereby the teeth are drawn out of the hay or other material, which has reached the plane of the upper or operating side of the carrier-apron, and during the extension of the pickerteeth said teeth are swung forwardly, or in the direction of rotation of the picker-cylinder, and at a speed greater than that of said rotation by reason of the fact that the picker-staffs receive a rocking movement independent of the rotary movement of the cylinder. This forward swinging movement of the picker-teeth causes the teeth to traverse an area greater than can be traversed by teeth which are carried positively by the picker-cylinder and which do not receive the auxiliary or independent swinging movement above described, and hence the path traversed by the picker-teeth carried by each picker-staff will be overlapped partly by the teeth on the succeeding pickerstaif, thus increasing the efficiency of the gathering operation and resulting in a more perfect engagement and elevation of the hay.

The picker-teeth are preferably curved forward or upward toward their extremities and are provided with tangs 61, which extend through transverse perforations in the pickerstatfs 44, a shoulder 62 being formed at the inner end of each tang to bear against the surface of the picker-staff at one side and a nut 63 being threaded upon the extremity of the tang to bear against the surface of the picker-staff at the opposite side.

In connection with the above described mechanism I employ a rake 64, having a sectional frame preferably comprising the terminal section 65 and the intermediate or central section 66, each section carrying a plurality of rake-teeth 67 of a construction shown and described in detail in my copending application, Serial No. 540,173, filed March 1, 1895. These rake-teeth are secured to the front sides of the several sections of the rakeframe, and each section is provided with a single supporting-wheel or its equivalent, the supporting-wheels 68 of the terminal sections being arranged at the outer extremities of those sections and preferably in alinement, approximately, with the rear sides thereof, as shown clearly in Fig. 11, while the supporting-wheel 69 of the intermediate or central section is preferably arranged near or slightly in advance of the line of the front sides of the sections, as shown inFigs. 2, 3, and 11. This intermediate supporting-wheel IIS 69 is preferably mounted for vertical adjustment in order to vary the point of lowest depression of the rake-teeth and therefore hold the lower extremities of said teeth at the desired distance from the surface of the soil. In the construction illustrated the means employed for adjusting this intermediate supporting-wheel consists of a pivotal standard 70, having an operating arm or lever '71 arranged in operative relation with a locking-segment 72 and adapted to be secured with the supporting-wheel in the desired position by means of a pin 73, engaging a perforation in the arm or lever (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) and a registering perforation in the locking-section, a plurality of perforations in the lever and segment being employed to provide for varying the adjustment. By inclining the operating-lever more or less the lower extremities of the rake-teeth maybe lowered or brought at the desired distance from the surface of the soil, whereas by straightening the hand-lever or causing it to approach a vertical position the rake-teeth may be elevated, and inasmuch as a plurality of raketecth, preferably two, is carried by the intermediate or central section it is obvious that a depression or rise in the soil, as, for instance,

the crest of a hillock, which is traversed by the intermediate supporting-wheel will be simultaneously traversed by these rake-teeth to insure the removal of hay or other material from said eminence. In the same way the descent of the supporting-wheel 69 into a depression or furrow in the soil will be accompanied by a corresponding downward movement of the rake-teeth carried by the intermediate section, and hence any hay or other material which may occupy a position in said depression will be engaged and elevated in a manner similar to that above described.

In order to prevent the rake-frame from tipping rearwardly or inclining laterally, except when caused by the inclination of the surface of the soil, I employ a steadying device 75, which is arranged to travel in rear of the rake-frame and is carried by the intermediate section. In the construction illustrated this steadying device consists of wheels 76, mounted upon a rearward extension 77 of the intermediate section, and as said wheels are laterally alined, and hence traverse paths respectively upon opposite sides of the path traversed by the intermediate supportingwheel 69, the intermediate section is held from both rearward and lateral tipping movem ent.

The means whereby connection is made between the rake-frame and the frame-castings consist of draft-bars 78, pivotally connected at their front and rear ends, respectively, to the frame-casting and the rake-frame and connected at intermediate points to the rakeframe in advance of said rear pivotal points by means of limiting-chains 7 9, said chains being designed to limit the downward movement of the front sides of the rake-frame, the

adjustment of the chains being accomplished by the engagement of different links thereof with hooks 80 or their equivalents, secured to the outer extremities of the terminal rakeseetions 65. Guide-bars 81 are also pivotally connected to the outer extremities of the terminal rake-sections approximately in the planes of the terminal supporting-wheels 68 and are fitted at their upper ends in guides 82 on the rear ends of the side bars 5 of the horizontal loader-frame, pressure and cushion springs 8$ being interposed between said guides 82 and subjacent collars S4, fixed to the guide bars, whereby the supportingwheels 68 are held firmly in contact with the surface of the soil and at the same time are allowed to rise against the tension of said springs to pass over irregularities in the surface. When said supporting-wheels reach a depression in the surface of the soil, they are caused to traverse the bottoms of the depressions and thus at all times hold the rake-teeth in position to gather the hay or other material on the surface.

The essen tial function of the rake, as above described, is to collect in position for en gagement by the picker-teeth those scattering stalks of hay or other material which are not engaged by the picker-teeth when the latter traverse the surface of the soil. The raketeeth follow the picker-cylinder and by gathering up the loose stalks accumulate them in position to be engaged by the picker-teeth during their upward movement at the rear side of the cylinder.

In order to separate the hay orother material in the swath which is being worked or traversed by the loader and that which is in the adjoining swath, and which is designed to be taken up upon the succeeding trip of the loader, I employ a straightening or dividing tooth 85, which may, as in the construction illustrated, be attached to one of the frame-castings with its lower extremity held in contact with the surface of the soil by means of an actuating spring-coil 86. This tooth separates the hay upon a line parallel with the direction of movement of the loader and draws that hay which may be held stationary by the ground-wheel out of the path of the picker-cylinder and raking devices, and thus prevents tangling and straining and the consequent impeding of the operation of the loader.

The gravity of the arms 48, which are disposed perpendicularly to the axes of the picker-staifs, counterbalances the weight of the picker-teeth and assists in maintaining the arms of the cross-heads in operative contact with the cam-flanges carried by the framecastings, and thus serves to steady the operation of the parts in shifting the picker-staffs from one position to another. For instance, in causing the shifting movement of the picker-teeth from the position shown in full lines at b, Fig. 5, to that shown in dotted lines the arms 48 pass from a position in rear of the picker-staff, as shown by the full lines at b, Fig. 5, to a position in front of the pickerstafi, as shown by the preceding picker-staff. Thus the weight of the arms 48 is transferred from a position in rear to a position in front by the contact of the long arm of the crosshead with the curved extremity 60 of the inner cam-flange. During this shifting movement the gravity of the arms 48 is exerted in opposition to the action of the shifting devices at the first portion of the movement and is exerted with the same during the latter portion of the motion. Thus when the pickerstaff has been shifted it comes positively to its new position and is not liable to the vibration or chattering which would be observable with a non-counterbalanced staff, or one in which the Weight of the picker-teeth serves to assist the shifting motion at the beginning of the movement and resist the same at the end thereof.

It will be understood that in practice various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, What I claim is 1. In a hay-loader, a rotary picker-cylinder adapted to cooperate with a carrier and having toothed rocking picker-staffs including spindles mounted in the heads of the cylinder and having perpendicularly-disposed counterbalancing-arms extending inwardly from the staffs, or toward the axis of the cylinder, angular cross-heads carried by the spindle and each having perpendicular long and short arms, and fixed inner and outer cam-flanges adapted to engage, respectively, the long and short arms of the cross-heads and having separated upper and lower extremities, the lower extremity of the inner flange having an inturned portion by contact with which the long arms of the cross-heads are moved to swing the picker-teeth into operative position, said arms being adapted to counterbalance the Weight of the picker-teeth and steady the pickerspring-actuated guide-bars to depress the rake and hold its supporting devices in contact with the surface traversed, substantially as specified.

3. In a hay-loader, the combination with picker and carrier mechanisms, of a trailing rake having supporting-rollers, draft-bars 7 8 connecting the rake-frame to the loader-frame and adapted to allow free vertical movement of the former, limiting-chains 79, guide-bars 81 pivotally connected to the rake-frame and operating in fixed guides, and depression or cushion springs connected to the guide-bars, substantially as specified.

4. In a hay-loader, the combination with picker and carrier mechanisms, of a trailing rake of sectional construction, having terminal supporting-wheels and a single intermediate supporting-wheel, and means for adj ustin g the intermediate Wheel to vary the elevation of the center of the frame, substantially as specified.

5. In a hay-loader, the combination With picker and carrier mechanisms, of a trailing rake having a sectional frame, provided with terminal supporting-wheels and a single intermediate supporting-wheel, a pivotal standard carrying said intermediate wheel, and means for locking said standard at the desired adjustment, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto a-ffixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL FERGUSON.

. Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, E. G. SIeeERs. 

